1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to support systems, and more particularly, to an assembly for holding musical percussion instruments, particularly woodblocks, but which can be easily adapted for other idiophones and membranophones by someone skilled in the art.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mounting percussion instruments and drums for better resonance has been and remains a common goal among designers. Much focus has been given to the improvements for mounting drumsxe2x80x94for example U.S. Pat. No. 641,901 to Soistmann, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,613 to Ludwig, Jr., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,600,080 to Belli, all for drum mounting ideas. For smaller percussion instruments, often referred to as xe2x80x98hand heldxe2x80x99 instruments, there has not been as great an effort.
In recent years many of the authentic smaller percussion instruments like woodblocks are being reproduced using synthetic materials, plastics. While these innovation improve durability, much of the full, rich sound quality produced by the original authentic instruments is lost. The difference in mounting designs of instruments made of such durable synthetic materials and those made of naturally occurring materials can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,061 to Cohen.
The commonly accepted method for mounting authentic woodblocks today remains a clamp design that dates back to the beginning of xe2x80x98modernxe2x80x99 percussion hardware. These require that the woodblock be drilled with mounting holes on the underside or on the ends, where metal forks are inserted, allowing the block to be loosely mounted. In this way, the block is free to move in ways not helpful to the player. An even greater drawback is that a large portion of the instrument""s resonance is grounded through this direct contact between a ridged metal support system and the instrument body. In turn, the clamp itself is fastened to ancillary parts that eventually lead to the floor surface on which the entire assembly rests. Much of the instrument""s sound goes to the floor. These metal clamps are still in active production today, supporting the fact that even with these limitations, many players still prefer the natural sound of wood.
The present invention, a musical instrument mounting assembly, comprises an attachment means, a vibration absorbing material, and an elective rigid frame or support assembly. The mounting assembly includes a frame structure with a cradle assemble coupled thereto. The cradle assembly is constructed of a vibration absorbing material and is configured to support a musical instrument such as a woodblock. An elastically flexible cord is connected at one end to a percussion instrument for gently holding the instrument in contact with the form cradle so that the instrument is playable with maximum sound resonance.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a superior mounting assembly for a musical hand-held percussion instrument, such as but not limited to a musical woodblock, which is to be supported for use by a player in such a way that the woodblock will remain free to fully resonate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide additional protection from physical damage by way of softening or cushioning the impact of heavier mallet stokes from the player.
Still another object of the present invention is to further free the natural tonal sound of an instrument such a woodblock so that the pitch fundamental and accompanying overtones can be heard more completely.
Still another object of the present invention is to decrease the amount of force a player must use to achieve a louder sound because the majority of the players energy is converted to sound by the flexible assembly.
Yet another object of the present invention is to improve the tone quality of instruments when the performer desires a volume level of mezzo piano or less, i.e., the instrument is unencumbered by direct contact with rigid mounting so that substantial vibration of the instrument occurs even when the player applies a very light stroke with a stick or mallet.
Yet another object of the present invention is to allow a player the freedom to position instrument in the most advantageous arrangement to match his or her personal performance requirements, including angles that are steep or vertical, as well as inverted positions, without sacrificing sound quality.